Ooh, I just got an interesting google hit... "What is another thing I can use to depot my eyeshadow".
My answer: Your flat iron!
I actually find the flat iron (straightening iron) method to be a lot easier than with a candle.
Here's what I do. Pop out the plastic part (talking MAC here) containing the eyeshadow pan as usual.
Set the iron on the hottest setting. Set the plastic pan on the flat iron for a couple seconds. The plastic will become soft, just like the flame method. Use a tool (tongs, tweezers, I use my cuticle pusher, shh...) to pry the shadow pan out of the soft plastic. Be careful not to gouge the shadow.
I apply a magnet, then I warm up the label side of the original pot so that the label glue comes loose and I stick the label on the magnet and place it in my palette.
Simple, painless, and you can't set yourself on fire this way.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
OMG, WTF! And Carol's Daughter Mold.... again.
Ah, now I know why China Glaze called it the OMG collection... Because when you put it on, you're like, "OMG THIS IS CHIPPED ALREADY!!!"
Maybe they should release a color called WTF. Seriously. This stuff chipped within the hour! I did my usual Nailtek II, two coats of polish, Seche Vite and Qtica Half Time, which usually gets me 4-7 days of wear if I can wait that long... But, no. This chipped immediately. I didn't have any oil on my nails. I always clean with acetone or Seche Erase or Creative (Sorry, CND) ScrubFresh or NailFresh... I don't want my polish chipping before I'm ready to take it off.
Oh well.
I know this is something I've said many times before, but I will say it again. LUSH has the WORST customer service. Ever.
Moving on... I've been getting a lot of hits on "Carol's Daughter mold" and I think I can understand your frustration. It seems to be one of those natural companies that use no parabens. Now, while there is a lot of speculation on the safety of parabens, personally, I have never seen any definite proof or evidence enough for me to stop using products with parabens. In fact, I have a hard time using products without them. Why? You need parabens. They keep your products from getting moldy and growing all sorts of stuff that you can't see that can give you a wicked skin condition or infection.
I only own one Carol's Daughter product, and that's the Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner, and as far as I can tell it's still fine, but I might give it a test to make sure. Yes, you can actually test your products for bacteria and fungus. Very CSI, right?
Maybe they should release a color called WTF. Seriously. This stuff chipped within the hour! I did my usual Nailtek II, two coats of polish, Seche Vite and Qtica Half Time, which usually gets me 4-7 days of wear if I can wait that long... But, no. This chipped immediately. I didn't have any oil on my nails. I always clean with acetone or Seche Erase or Creative (Sorry, CND) ScrubFresh or NailFresh... I don't want my polish chipping before I'm ready to take it off.
Oh well.
I know this is something I've said many times before, but I will say it again. LUSH has the WORST customer service. Ever.
Moving on... I've been getting a lot of hits on "Carol's Daughter mold" and I think I can understand your frustration. It seems to be one of those natural companies that use no parabens. Now, while there is a lot of speculation on the safety of parabens, personally, I have never seen any definite proof or evidence enough for me to stop using products with parabens. In fact, I have a hard time using products without them. Why? You need parabens. They keep your products from getting moldy and growing all sorts of stuff that you can't see that can give you a wicked skin condition or infection.
I only own one Carol's Daughter product, and that's the Black Vanilla Leave-In Conditioner, and as far as I can tell it's still fine, but I might give it a test to make sure. Yes, you can actually test your products for bacteria and fungus. Very CSI, right?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
China Glaze OMG Collection Swatches and Review
China Glaze OMG:
(Not pictured: TTYL. It's ass-ugly.)
Please excuse the broken nail. I broke it opening the box. Irony.
Edit: Okay, I might at well post my review.
They seem to dry super fast, like holographic colors seem to do for some reason. The thing is, they dry matte, so be sure to get a coat of Seche Vite on there if matte's not your thing. They are completely opaque in one coat, which is awesome, but they seem to have that "Big 3 Free" formula problem of being goopy and runny at the same time, so watch out for stray globs of nail polish that randomly fall off the brush.
The holographic particles in these are also much smaller than the Kaleidoscope collection. I'd say they're even quite a bit smaller than the OPI Designer Series ones, too. This makes more of a holographic sheen rather than an in-your-face kind of holo like the others. It's not bad, it's just more subtle.
I decided on DV8 (that's the one on my pinkie in the second picture) for my manicure. I think I like DV8 and L8R G8R the best so far, and OMG seems to be really similar to the hard to find Chanel Holographic.
Overall, I like them, but not as much as Kaleidoscope.
Oh, and Anaconda is amazing. Bastards.
(Not pictured: TTYL. It's ass-ugly.)
Please excuse the broken nail. I broke it opening the box. Irony.
Edit: Okay, I might at well post my review.
They seem to dry super fast, like holographic colors seem to do for some reason. The thing is, they dry matte, so be sure to get a coat of Seche Vite on there if matte's not your thing. They are completely opaque in one coat, which is awesome, but they seem to have that "Big 3 Free" formula problem of being goopy and runny at the same time, so watch out for stray globs of nail polish that randomly fall off the brush.
The holographic particles in these are also much smaller than the Kaleidoscope collection. I'd say they're even quite a bit smaller than the OPI Designer Series ones, too. This makes more of a holographic sheen rather than an in-your-face kind of holo like the others. It's not bad, it's just more subtle.
I decided on DV8 (that's the one on my pinkie in the second picture) for my manicure. I think I like DV8 and L8R G8R the best so far, and OMG seems to be really similar to the hard to find Chanel Holographic.
Overall, I like them, but not as much as Kaleidoscope.
Oh, and Anaconda is amazing. Bastards.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Clarins 230 crappy pictures.
Since I'm in a nails mood right now, I thought I'd post a few pics of one of my favorite colors. Clarins 230.
It's this translucent glossy purple with a green duochrome and gorgeous red/orange/amber/yellow shimmer that just comes to life when light hits it. It definitely needs three or more coats (my pictures are three coats with Poshe on top), but it's worth it. I found it extremely difficult to capture on film, but it's obviously because I'm a crap photographer.
Flash:
No flash:
I think I need to take photography lessons. There HAS to be a way to catch this stunning color on camera, and I'm determined to do it. Oh well. There you have it, Clarins 230.
It's this translucent glossy purple with a green duochrome and gorgeous red/orange/amber/yellow shimmer that just comes to life when light hits it. It definitely needs three or more coats (my pictures are three coats with Poshe on top), but it's worth it. I found it extremely difficult to capture on film, but it's obviously because I'm a crap photographer.
Flash:
No flash:
I think I need to take photography lessons. There HAS to be a way to catch this stunning color on camera, and I'm determined to do it. Oh well. There you have it, Clarins 230.
LaVanilla Vanilla Coconut Healthy Body Butter rocks!
Quick comment:
I just tried the LaVanila Vanilla Coconut Healthy Body Butter and... OMFG. This stuff is awesome!
The texture is nice, not greasy, just like the other scents, but this one is special. It's the PERFECT coconut-vanilla scent that smells like both coconut and vanilla without smelling like suntan lotion, glade, or play-doh.
I'm definitely getting the Vanilla Coconut EDP after smelling this. Haters be damned, if it smells good, it smells good!
And... My China Glaze OMG collection polishes should be here Monday, and I'll take pictures, because they sound really cool.
I just tried the LaVanila Vanilla Coconut Healthy Body Butter and... OMFG. This stuff is awesome!
The texture is nice, not greasy, just like the other scents, but this one is special. It's the PERFECT coconut-vanilla scent that smells like both coconut and vanilla without smelling like suntan lotion, glade, or play-doh.
I'm definitely getting the Vanilla Coconut EDP after smelling this. Haters be damned, if it smells good, it smells good!
And... My China Glaze OMG collection polishes should be here Monday, and I'll take pictures, because they sound really cool.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Makeup Doppelganger. Zoya and Seche Vite don't play well together.
First things first, for all you googlers, as far as I know, the entire Sephora Indulgences line has been DISCONTINUED. Very sad, especially since I really loved the Vanilla Frosting scent. The new Sephora bath and body line is okay, and I'd recommend the Coconut Almond scent, it's somewhat similar. The Creme Brulee is kinda funny, very similar to the also discontinued Bath and Body Works Tutti Dolci Creme Brulee scent.
With that aside, I have to share my excitement. I think I met my doppelganger! It was weird. She works at Home Depot (even weirder.)
While she wasn't quite my identical twin, she had the same haircut as I do, and was wearing black (or some variation of black) nail polish- and get this- the same makeup I was wearing. I was in the checkout and she says "I like your makeup!" and I looked up (she was almost a foot taller than me) and noticed hers. It looked like Urban Decay Blunt and Gash. I was wearing Blunt and Gash, with Make Up For Ever Diamond Powder (02) and a few other things .... It was so weird. Sure, she didn't really blend it at all, but the sheer fact that she was wearing it nearly made me pee my pants.
So, there's my story for the day.
Also, I've been having a problem with my Seche Vite! I think something may have gotten into it. Now when I apply it over wet polish like I usually do, it scrunches up and looks squiggly and becomes cloudy white. It seems to only happen with Zoya. It never did this before. I used it over Zoya Casey and Nocti Flying Naked. It happened once on my toes with Yasmeen, but I thought it was a fluke. Does this happen to anyone else?
I got sick of trying to make the Zoya/Nocti/Seche Vite manicures work, so I'm wearing OPI Who Are You Wearing. In the bottle I thought they gave me a mislabeled bottle of Russian Navy or OPI Ink!, but once it's on your nails and dry it looks like a blackened purple. Really pretty, but not as interesting as Ink. After using Zoya and Essie for my last manicures, I now realize how superior OPI is. It dried in absolutely no time at all (under 5 minutes with Seche Vite and Qtica Half Time), it's rock hard and shiny as glass, went on smoothly and was completely opaque in two coats. It's a shame they raised the price by a whole dollar.
I also have the entire China Glaze OMG collection (sans Wireless, because it was out of stock =( ) on the way... I can't wait to try it. I freaking love those holographic polishes. I have the whole Kaleidoscope collection and most of the OPI Designer Series. Having holographic nails is very distracting.
With that aside, I have to share my excitement. I think I met my doppelganger! It was weird. She works at Home Depot (even weirder.)
While she wasn't quite my identical twin, she had the same haircut as I do, and was wearing black (or some variation of black) nail polish- and get this- the same makeup I was wearing. I was in the checkout and she says "I like your makeup!" and I looked up (she was almost a foot taller than me) and noticed hers. It looked like Urban Decay Blunt and Gash. I was wearing Blunt and Gash, with Make Up For Ever Diamond Powder (02) and a few other things .... It was so weird. Sure, she didn't really blend it at all, but the sheer fact that she was wearing it nearly made me pee my pants.
So, there's my story for the day.
Also, I've been having a problem with my Seche Vite! I think something may have gotten into it. Now when I apply it over wet polish like I usually do, it scrunches up and looks squiggly and becomes cloudy white. It seems to only happen with Zoya. It never did this before. I used it over Zoya Casey and Nocti Flying Naked. It happened once on my toes with Yasmeen, but I thought it was a fluke. Does this happen to anyone else?
I got sick of trying to make the Zoya/Nocti/Seche Vite manicures work, so I'm wearing OPI Who Are You Wearing. In the bottle I thought they gave me a mislabeled bottle of Russian Navy or OPI Ink!, but once it's on your nails and dry it looks like a blackened purple. Really pretty, but not as interesting as Ink. After using Zoya and Essie for my last manicures, I now realize how superior OPI is. It dried in absolutely no time at all (under 5 minutes with Seche Vite and Qtica Half Time), it's rock hard and shiny as glass, went on smoothly and was completely opaque in two coats. It's a shame they raised the price by a whole dollar.
I also have the entire China Glaze OMG collection (sans Wireless, because it was out of stock =( ) on the way... I can't wait to try it. I freaking love those holographic polishes. I have the whole Kaleidoscope collection and most of the OPI Designer Series. Having holographic nails is very distracting.
Friday, January 11, 2008
OPI Light My Sapphire is ugly, but OPI and Apple Pie isn't.
OPI Light My Sapphire is easily the ugliest nail polish I've ever worn.
It's just so.... blah! It's not blue, it's not black, it really just looks dingy and uninteresting.
Light My Sapphire and Catherine the Grape are the only two colors I've taken off just hours after applying them because I couldn't stand having BLAH nails anymore.
I like OPI and Apple Pie better than this!
It's just so.... blah! It's not blue, it's not black, it really just looks dingy and uninteresting.
Light My Sapphire and Catherine the Grape are the only two colors I've taken off just hours after applying them because I couldn't stand having BLAH nails anymore.
I like OPI and Apple Pie better than this!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Cumming: The Fragrance: The Best Commercial Ever
Yes, I did actually pay $69 for Cumming: The Fragrance.
Not only because I love Alan Cumming, but it has the most hilarious commercial for a fragrance EVER.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7SHFQ5V3kZE
Warning: Don't click unless you want to see naked man ass. I suppose you might call it NSFW....
Earthy... Really earthy. *nod*
Not only because I love Alan Cumming, but it has the most hilarious commercial for a fragrance EVER.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7SHFQ5V3kZE
Warning: Don't click unless you want to see naked man ass. I suppose you might call it NSFW....
Earthy... Really earthy. *nod*
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Gross Mascara Googler and also Too Faced Shadow Insurance is better than Urban Decay Primer Potion.
To the person who hit my blog by googling "make mascara useable again":
OMFG!!! THROW IT OUT!!! Don't do it, man!!!
Anyway... Not much time to write, but I wanted to say that the new Too Faced Shadow Insurance ROCKS. So far, it's way better than Urban Decay Primer Potion.
Better texture, it has a bit of tint to it to even out lid color, shadows blend easier and no creasing.
Nice!
OMFG!!! THROW IT OUT!!! Don't do it, man!!!
Anyway... Not much time to write, but I wanted to say that the new Too Faced Shadow Insurance ROCKS. So far, it's way better than Urban Decay Primer Potion.
Better texture, it has a bit of tint to it to even out lid color, shadows blend easier and no creasing.
Nice!